Sunday, October 16, 2011

2011 Meet the Misses v.54 - Miss Uganda 2011

Uganda is a country with fantastic natural scenery and a rich mosaic of tribes and cultures. Uganda lies astride the Equator in Eastern Africa and has an average altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level. The total area is 236,580 square kilometers. Uganda is bordered by the South Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, and Tanzania and Rwanda to the South. Ecologically, Uganda is where the East African savannah meets the West African jungle. In Uganda you can witness lions prowling the open plains, chimpanzees tracking through the rainforest and tropical channels teeming with hippos and crocodiles. Uganda is the only safari destination whose range of forest primates is as impressive as its selection of plain antelopes. Besides the wide biodiversity, Uganda boasts of a diverse bird population of more than 1,000 species. Situated at the geographical heart of the African continent, Uganda has long been a cultural melting pot, as evidenced by the existence of 30-plus different indigenous languages belonging to five distinct linguistic groups, and an equally diverse cultural mosaic of music, art and handicrafts. The country’s most ancient inhabitants, confined to the hilly southwest, are the Batwa and Bambuti Pygmies, relics of the hunter-gatherer cultures that once occupied much of East Africa to leave behind a rich legacy of rock paintings, such as at the Nyero Rock Shelter near Kumi. At the cultural core of modern day Uganda lie the Bantu-speaking kingdoms of Buganda, Bunyoro, Ankole and Toro, whose traditional monarchs still serve as important cultural figureheads. According to oral tradition, these centuries-old kingdoms are offshoots of the medieval kingdoms of Batembuzi and Bachwezi, which lay in the vicinity of present-day Mubende and Ntusi, where archaeological evidence suggests that a strongly centralized polity had emerged by the 11th century. Three former kings of Buganda are buried in an impressive traditional thatched building at the Kasubi Tombs in Kampala. Uganda boasts of temperate climate even though a bulky of its area is in the tropics. It also harbors the world's second largest lake, Lake Victoria, the source of the world's longest river, the Nile. Uganda debuted in Miss World 1967 and Sylvia Wilson Namutebi, Miss Uganda 2011, aims to become Uganda's first placement in Miss World 2011.

The Times of Beautyproudly presents Sylvia Wilson Namutebi, Miss Uganda 2011, in an exclusive interview for our interview series, Meet the Misses.

1. Give us an introduction of yourself.

My name is Sylvia Wilson Namutebi. I am 23 years old and I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management. I work as the PR of an organization called Arms of Grace. I am a kind and caring person and I consider myself to be principled and ambitious.

2. Tell us a bit more about your country and hometown.

My country is the source of the Nile River. It is well known for its favorable equatorial climate and its economy highly depends on tourism and agriculture. It is a former British protectorate and also hosted the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of State meeting. My hometown is Lubowa found in the central region of Uganda. It is part of the Buganda Kingdom of the Bantu tribe which is also the largest tribe in Uganda. Therefore, from my hometown you can easily have a chance to visit the Kabaka Palace.

3. What does it mean to you to represent your country at the 61st Miss World finals?

It gives me a great sense of pride and great belonging to be an ambassador for my country at Miss World and at the same time it’s a great responsibility for me to make sure that Uganda is well represented for what it stands for, its values, culture and traditions . My aim is to leave a footprint at the end of Miss World.

4. If you have to choose a song to describe yourself, which would you choose and why?

That song would be Care by Kid Rock ft Martina McBride and TI. My favorite line in this song says: “I can’t stop the war, shelter the homeless, feed the poor, I can’t walk on water, I can’t save your sons and daughters. Well I can change the world to make things fair the least that I can do is care”. This entire song describes my feelings towards the world and what little part each of us can play to make life better for us and others.

5. How would you describe a typical day in your life?

I wake up in the morning and say my prayer, do my daily workout routine, have my breakfast and watch some news then go about my daily work schedule. In the evening, I do my dance rehearsals after which I go for my dinner and conclude my day.

6. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

I see myself having registered my foundation called Mission Wide Love and expanded it internationally. I also believe that in 10 years I would have completed building my human resources recreation center where young people can come and build their competences, skills, abilities and explore their talents and creativity. I see myself as a role model to young men and women all over the world, and hopefully be an inspiration to them.

7. Which well known person from your country you most admire and why?

I admire Dr. Maggie Kigozi. She is the head of the Uganda Investment Authority. She portrays the strong business minds that women can have to build a sustainable financial future through saving and investing in working business and hence contribute to the economic development of their own countries.

8. If you had to choose any other country to live in, which one would you choose and why?

I love my country and I wouldn’t substitute it for another. However, one country I like is Italy because of its rich historical background and how it has been preserved.

9. After the Sendai Earthquake, nuclear energy has become a focus of attention. Are you in favor or against the use of this kind of energy as a way to reduce the dependence on oil?

I am against it because of its vast negative effects it has on human lives and the environment in instances of exposure as compared to oil which also has its own upheavals. I believe the world can still survive without depending on highly dangerous substances that have diverse effects on the stability of the future generations. Who can guarantee that nuclear energy will not be used as means to cause destruction?

10. What do you think is the worst kind of human injustice or prejudice happening now?

Child labor, human trafficking and violations of human rights such as denying people the freedom of speech, expression, and dictatorships that leads to genocides. These I consider to be the worst kind of human injustices.

11. What are your duties as Miss Uganda?

My duties are to transform and improve my society through charitable acts. To be a role model and an inspiration to young people out there. To positively represent my country with all its values cultural diversity and customs.

12. What role can social media (ex. Facebook, Twitter, etc) play in the life of a beauty pageant titleholder?

Social media creates popularity and support for the beauty queen by building a strong fan base. It can create awareness of programs and activities that she is involved in hence creating success for her. It connects her to people that may be interested in sharing and helping. It is also a way of connecting her to other titleholders in the world hence exchange of different ideas.

13. What does it mean to be a human being?

It means to live up to the core foundations of humanity which is, be kind, care for the needs of others and to protect and conserve the world in which we live.

14. What do you feel is your purpose in life?

I believe my purpose in life is to help and reach out to as many people as possible and impact the lives of people around the world and make my contribution towards making the world a better place to live now and for future generations to come.

15. Share a message to your supporters and readers of The Times of Beauty.

I want to thank The Times of Beauty for giving me this opportunity to express myself to their readers and to my fans out there. This for me is a start to realizing my dream of making a positive change in different societies and through your support I know I can reach beyond the horizon. It is also a great pleasure for me to be a participant in the 61st Miss World competition. I will make the best out of it because I know by just being involved I am already a winner. I am looking forward to meeting all the beauty queens from around the world. Stay blessed and much love from Uganda.

The Times of Beauty offers annual coverage of the two best beauty pageants in the planet: Miss World and Miss Universe. The website and its owner are not related in any form or manner whatsoever with these international pageants. "Miss World" and "Mister World" are property of Miss World Limited based in London, United Kingdom. "Miss Universe" is property of Miss Universe L.P., LLLP based in New York, New York, United States. The Times of Beauty does not claim credit or ownership for any images featured unless otherwise noted. We aim to give credit when we can. All visual content is copyright to its respectful owners.